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You are here: Home / Budget & Taxes / Washington Digs In on the Shutdown

Washington Digs In on the Shutdown

December 23, 2018 at 4:21 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “Washington is digging in for an extended government shutdown, one that will last at least into next week, but some top lawmakers privately told us they expect it will go into January.”

“The Senate and the House have said they will not hold votes until Dec. 27. Time is on Democrats’ side. Republicans lose most of their leverage as Jan. 3 draws near. That’s the date Democrats take control of the House.”

Politico: “President Trump has quietly come down from his original $5 billion demand for a border wall to just $2 billion… Trump has also backed off his demand that Congress approve an actual border wall, instead suggesting a steel picket fence of sorts, the design of which Trump tweeted to widespread disdain.”

“Democrats, though, remain at zero money for Trump’s wall. Nil. Nothing. No money for a border wall or steel slats or anything remotely resembling the kind of ‘beautiful’ barrier that Trump wants to build. Democrats are OK with a ‘fence’ or more money for ‘border security,’ but any obstacle that Trump can call a wall is unacceptable.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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